Painting apparatus



LMQ MJ 3 wears 594881 3 Dec. 26, 1922.

OQQOOODOOOOGOOoO m qoooooooooga mv QQOQOOQ Inventor.

E STATS WALTER A. HEINRICH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO W. N. MATTHEWS AND BROTHER, 'INC., OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW MEXICO.

PAINTING APPARATUS.

Application filed May 14, 1921. Serial No. 469,427.

as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this ap plication This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in a system of painting designed especially for use in' painting oil tanks, ships, and the like. the object being to suspend a paint tank or container provided with a spray head from an adjustable boom, whereby compressed air supplied to the spray head through the flexible tube leadingfrom a source of compressed air may be utilized in spraying paint on the surface. or wall to be painted, means being provided whereby the operator may adjust the tank and its carried spray head vertically to paint the surface in vertical strips. The paint tank is counterbalanced when full of paint, and as the paint is used from the tank, weights may be added to the tank to compensate for its gradually lessening paint content.

Weighted guide ropes serve to hold the tank and spray head the proper distance from the surface to be painted; but the operator may, on account of the pendulous free- ,dom of movement of these guide ropes, move the spray head from side to side or toward or from the surface being painted without di sturbing the position of the boom from which the pendulous guide ropes are suspended.

lVind shields may also be provided on each side, or on one side, of the spray head to prevent the .wind from blowing the paint spray away from the wall.

Figure 1 is'a detail view of a tank showing the method of practicing my improved system of painting.

Figure 2 is a top plan view on a slightly reduced scale of a portion of the tank and part of the apparatus used in my improved system.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view of the boom anchor,

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view through the spray head.

Figure 5 is a rear elevational View of the spray head.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of paint tank.

Figure 7 is a side'view, as seen at right angles to F igure 6, of the paint tank or container.

Figure 8 is a detail top plan view on a reduced scale of the paint tank or container.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a circular tank which is commonly used for the storage of oil, and which I have selected for the purpose of illustrating the practice of my improved system. 2 indicates a boom, the in ner end of which is seated in an anchoring weight, such as a cast iron block 3, said boom being secured in said anchoring weight by means of a bolt 4 which extends from the bottom wall of the weight casting, so that said bolt will form a pivot projection which canbe located at approximately the center of the tank.

5 indicates a wheeled truck arranged on the top wall of the; tank near the perimeter thereof for supporting the outer end of the boom. By this construction, the boom may be, easily moved step by step around the tank. The outer end. of the boom projects beyond the wall of the tank and is provided with a cross-beam 6 from the outer end of which are suspended wire cables 7 which carry weights 8 at their lower ends. These weights 8 may be in the form of ordinary sash weights; and in practical application, I have found that weights of twenty-five pounds heft are sufiicient for ordinary purposes.

9 indicates a paint tank or container having a winged screw cap or cover 10 which may be removed for the purpose of filling the tank with paint. This cap is preferably threaded onto a boss, as shown. 11 indicates an eye extending up from the cap and to which is connected a rope or cable 12 passing OVGI a sheave or pulley 13 carried by the end of the boom (see Figure l). Rope 12 after passing over the sheave or pulley l8 extends'down nearly to the ground, after which it is looped up and its opposite end secured to a hook or eye 14 extending from the bottom of the tank. 15 indicates a counterbalancing weightsecured to' the rope 12 in the reach on the opposite side of the pulley 13 from which the tank 9 is suspended. 16 indicates guide arms in the form of a strap having a quarter twist near its ends and provided with openings 17 in its extremities for receiving the guide ropes 7. This strap is bent at its center to partially encircle the tank 9, and has a complementary member 16 bolted thereto so as to forma clampingring held in position by nuts 18, whereby the guide arms are secured in place.

19 indicate wind shields removably bolted or otherwise reinovably secured to the arm 16 and on each side of the spray head, these wind shields being of such length that their inner edges are located close to the surface of the wall being painted when the spray head is in operation. In this manner, the device can be operated in a relatively high wind without danger of the spray being blown away. Braces 20 are preferably used for holding the Wind shields 19 in position on the guide arms.

21 indicates a spray head casting illustrated in detail in Figure 4. This casting is secured in position by means of an angle cou pling 2 2 and communicates with a pipe 23 whose lower end terminates short of the bottom of the tank'9. Casting 21 is provided with a paint chamber 24 and paint conduit 25 which leads into a nipple 26 screwed into-the forward end of the barrel. 27 indicates a valve for controlling the passage of paint from the chamber 24 to the conduit 25, said valve being normally held to 1ts seat by means of a spring 28. The lower end of the valve stem 29 passes through a gasket 30 and is threaded to receive a limitmg nut 31 operating in a bore extending up from a piston chamber 32.

33 indicates a piston arranged in the lower end of chamber 32 which lower end is closed by a cap nut 34. 35 indicates a leakage open ng extending from the upper portion of piston chamber 32. 36 indicates anair conduit having a port 37 leading to the lower end of piston chamber 32 under piston 33. This air conduit communicates with the chamber in an adjustable nozzle 38. I do not claim in this application the details of this nozzle as the same form the subjectmatter of a companion application Serial Number 468,314.

39 indicates a flexible tube, preferably a rubber hose, leading from a source of wit able compressed air supply and connected to a threaded boss on casting 21 seems to supply compressed air tothe conduit 36 and port 37. This tube 39 is provided with a stop cook 40 (see Figure 1). When compressed air is supplied to the spray head, it will pass through the nozzle and by lifting the piston 33 raise the valve'27 to the limit determined by the adjustable nut 31 and thussimultaneously admit paint to the nipple so that it will be siphoned therethrough and delivered by the compressed air onto the surface to be painted.

'41 indicates a T connection whereby air pressure is admitted to a pressure regulating valve 42 by means of pipe 43. A pipe 44 leads from the pressure regulating valve into the top of the tank 9 so as to exert the desired degree of pressure on the surface of the paint in the tank and force same up through the pipe 23 and to the nipple A pressure indicator 45 is preferably connected to the pressure regulating valve so as to indicate the amount of pressure exerted upon the surface of the paint in the tank. Ordr narily, a few pounds of pressure is all that is necessary to force the paint from the tank to the nipple, and this is controlled by the pressure regulating valve, as indicated by the pressure gauge; whereas from fifty to one hundred pounds of pressure may be required to' obtain the desired results in the spray head in the delivery of paint there from.

In operation, the inner end of the boom being properly anchored at approximately the center of the tank so that its end will project the required distance beyond the wall of the tank, the paint tank is filled with paint and preferably elevated so that the spray head will first paint theupper edge of the tank, and then by manipulating rope 12 the tank and its carried spray head may be lowered gradually andslowly until the bottom of the tank reaches the ground. In this manipulation, the tank and head ,are guided practically in a vertical line so that a vert1- cal strip of the surface of the tank, say about fourteen inches wide, recelves a coat of paint in this operation. Of course, when the bottom of the tank is near the ground, there will be an unpainted lower portion to be covered, but this can be done by using a small 'ar of paint in connection with the spray ead such as shown in the Johns Patent, No. 1,330,448, dated February 10, 1920. After the first strip of paint is applied, the outer end of the boom is adjusted circumferentially and the paint tank raised to the upper edge. so that its spray head will paint the adjacent surface. When the paint tank is lowered a second vertical strip of surface will be covered.

The tank 9, for ease of manipulation, preferably contains about, three gallons of paint, and the counter-balance weight 15 weighs about twenty five pounds. In painting an oil tank, say thirty feet, high, the tank 9 usually will contain a sufiicient quantity of paint to cover about three strips before requiring replenishment. As tank 9 becomes llghter by the use of paint therefrom, one or more auxiliary weights 50 may be hooked onto the bottom thereof, as shown in Figure 1, these weights compensating for the loss of paint and giving the proper counterbalance to the weight 15. Of course, the weights 50 are much lighter than the weight 15.

Ordinarily, the wind shields 19 are not employed because they obstruct to some extent the view of the operator, but where it is necessary to use wind shields. as when a high wind is blowing, they may be quickly and easily applied in position.

I prefer to leave the lower ends of the guide ropes 7 free and to place them under tension by weights, not only because the boom can be readily and quickly moved withou't 'disconnecting the guide ropes from a ground anchorage, but because the tank and its carried spray head can be thus manipulated toward and from the surface being painted and moved laterally when necessary to cover thesurface spots which may have escaped coverage.-

What I claim is: 1

1. A painting apparatus including, an adjustable boom. weighted guide ropes sus: pended therefrom and spaced from each other, a spray head slidably mounted on said ropes between them, and means for manipulating said spray head.

2. A painting apparatus including an adjustable boom, weighted guide ropes suspended therefrom and spaced from each other, a painting device slidably mounted on said ropes between them, and means for manipulating said device.

3. In a paintingapparatus, a weighted pendulous guide rope, a spray head guided by said rope, and means for manipulating said it vertically on means including a weight for counterbal-- ancing the tank and means for controlling the functioning of said spray head.

5. In a painting apparatus, guide ropes, a paint tank provided with a spray head and guided by sald ropes, and a removable wind shield carried by said tank.

6. In a spray head in the form of 'a. casting having air and paint conduits, a stemmed valve for controlling the paint conduit, an air pressure operated piston for moving said valve from its seat, and an adjustable limit nut on the stem of the valve for adjusting the opening movement of the valve, said limit nut being accessible from the exterior.

7 In a painting apparatus for a tank-or the like, a weight adapted to be placed at the center of the top of the tank, a boom having one end pivoted to said weight and its opposite end overhanging the'side of the tank, paint applying means suspended from the latter end of said boom and adapted to be raised and lowered, and weighted guide ropes suspended from said boom and preventing the undue swaying of said means.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature this 9th day of May, 1921.

I WALTER A. nEINRIcH. 

